1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to instrumentation used in orthopaedic surgery, and, more particularly, to instrumentation used to prepare bone for receiving a prosthetic implant.
2. Description of the related art
In an orthopaedic surgery to replace part or all of a patient's joint with a prosthetic implant, a portion of the implant receiving bone is prepared to closely match the mating surfaces of the implant. During an orthopaedic surgery to replace a hip joint, the proximal end of the femur is prepared to accommodate a femoral hip prosthesis and the pelvic bone is prepared to accommodate an acetabular cup.
It is known to use an orthopaedic milling instrument to form the end of a bone to receive an orthopaedic implant. One or more guides or templates are typically attached to the end of the bone using screws, fasteners or the like. A milling cutter having a plurality of cutting teeth is rotatably driven to shape the end of the bone, and is guided using the guides or templates. Attaching the guides or templates to the end of the bone to guide the cutting head requires additional steps during the surgery, with resultant additional time required.
What is needed in the art is an orthopaedic milling instrument which accurately shapes the end of a bone for receiving a prosthetic implant and does not require additional guides or templates to guide and/or limit the cutting action of the cutting head.